Fleser: Tall tale continues for Cain with Lady Vols

Photo by J. Miles Cary

Lady Vol freshman Kelley Cain, a 6-6 center from St. Pius X Catholic High School in Atlanta, participates in a promotional photo shoot on Tuesday at the TRECS facility. Cain and other Lady Vol signees Vicki Baugh, Sydney Smallbone, and Angie Bjorklund make up one of the strongest freshmen classes in the country according to published reports.

Mother plus daughter equals a granddaughter with a real passion for math.

Kelley Cain is the product of basic addition. Or is the generational equation more complicated than that?

"I told my mom many, many years ago, she brainwashed me into believing I loved mathematics'' said Cain's mother, Lynda. "I guess, in turn, Kelley has been brainwashed."

No joking, the affection appears genuine in Kelley, a University of Tennessee women's basketball freshman who wasted no time in wrestling with college calculus.

"I have to study; I guess it's something I like to study,'' she said. "It's just repetition. Most likely I know I'm not going to get it the first time. But if I keep practicing it, I know I'll get it, like basketball."

Fitting that she should connect these two pursuits. The math on Cain the basketball player adds up to 2,017 points, 1,420 rebounds and a role in three state championships at St. Pius X High School in Atlanta. Furthermore, she's grown to a stunning 6-foot-6, tying Vonda Ward as the tallest player in Lady Vols history.

UT coach Pat Summitt has considered the human skyline Cain is joining at Tennessee. Teammate Candace Parker stands 6-5. Nicky Anosike and Vicki Baugh are 6-4. Amid all these high-rise Lady Vols, Cain still stands out.

"For her to look as physically imposing here ... you notice her right off,'' Summitt said. "She has a tremendous presence in the post."

Cain has grown accustomed to an unobstructed view and enjoys it. She'll see your tall joke, and raise you a couple of shortie quips.

She casually mentioned in a conversation that her twin older brothers, Douglas and James, are 5-11 at best. There's a family photo in the Cain household that captures the siblings at the same size. Kelley was 7 years old. Since then she's left her brothers to field such questions as "Are you sure that's your little sister?"

"They think it's cool now,'' she said.

Imagine how cool it was for Cain on her recruiting visit to Duke, when 6-7 Alison Bales of the Blue Devils clued her in on a Web site featuring shoes for someone who wears a size 15. Cain can slip into a pair of three-inch heels and become 6-9.

"Don't ask me why they'd make a shoe that size with three-inch heels,'' she said. "I don't know why."

Maybe it's better not to ask. Just value your good fortune, like that day in the third grade when she sat down at a desk at school that actually fit her.

"Maybe they adjusted it or something,'' Cain said. "but I remember being happy."

Summitt remembers being in the third grade, too. And being tall. And being skinny. And being called "bonehead."

"I was the tallest girl in school and it bothered me,'' Summitt said. "I was self-conscious about it until I got to college.''

All experiences considered, Cain's comfort and self-assurance shouldn't be taken for granted. Lynda thinks her daughter benefitted from watching her 6-6 1/2 father, Harold, and noticing the attention the former football player at Clemson received in public.

Harold played a big role in Cain's basketball growth, educating Lynda, who admits to not having an athletic bone in her body, in the time investment required.

Stephanie Dunn, Cain's coach at St. Pius X, has her own theory.

"I think only a mother can make you OK with that,'' Dunn said of Cain's height.

Dunn might be right because it definitely wasn't OK for Cain to slouch. Lynda, who works for IBM, made that abundantly clear, to the point of Kelley awarding the mandate pet-peeve status.

"She had a thing about hunching over,'' Kelley said. " 'I don't want you to have a humpback before a certain age.' She always told me to sit up straight, stand tall and be proud."

Cain is reminded of her mother's influence in many ways. Whenever she notices someone else's grammar, Cain recalls mom stressing that she and her brothers speak correctly.

Mom was equally unwavering about homework. After Cain suffered a cracked right kneecap on a Friday night during her sophomore year at St. Pius X, she came to school on Monday with all of her assignments finished. So her knee was hurt. Cain figured her mom was thinking: There's nothing wrong with your hands or your brain.

Mom also took her children with her regularly to a homeless shelter to serve meals and interact with the patrons as part of their church's community outreach.

"Some of them were college graduates,'' Lynda said. "They'd run into some hard times.

"I think that impressed upon my kids that it could happen to anyone."

Cain said the experience afforded her a greater appreciation for everything she has. Like working an equation, you might not get it the first time, but it all adds up.

Sit down for awhile with someone less fortunate. Then stand up - very tall and proud.